Just when I thought July couldn't get more action-packed, Downtown L.A. rocked today. Rather rattled with the earthquake. It was like being in an inflated fun house (the kind that are popular among kids at picnics or parties), except that I was twenty-something floors above the ground, close to a window, and swaying along with the building for close to 45 seconds. Not something anyone would want to experience. Thankfully, there was not much damage done. What an effective reminder of how fragile we are. And imagine what Amitabh Bachchan might have written (on his blog) had this happened this time last week. A fever was catastrophic enough! ;)

Anyway, to top it all off this month, is yet another terrorist organization that uses religion to justify its crimes against humanity. It recently threatened Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Saif Ali Khan to give up acting (because they're moderate Muslim, the way God meant for us to be) or face 'serious consequences'. Oh dear. Not only do these people not have a religion, they don't know who they're up against! =)

This blog is not a forum for discussion on politics or religion, but these subjects are close enough to life (and Bollywood) for me to express pride in the way Aamir spoke out against them today, publicly vesting trust in government and public service to protect himself and his peers (although its merits are questionable). From this news piece:

“I am not going to change my life because of all this. It’s a challenge for the police to keep up with such things. Terrorists have to be lucky only once but the administration and the police force have to be lucky each time and make sure that they find out each time when such a thing is to happen. It is a difficult job and our job is to trust them and support them,” Aamir said.

More in this video:

Of course, as fans, we are concerned, and our thoughts and good wishes are with them. Wish Bollywood as a whole did more to promote ukhuwwat (Urdu for unity) instead of being split into the camps. At least reading Salman Khan's latest blog post calling for no reaction (to another issue, but the advice is applicable here, so bear with me), makes me feel better.

So it is in the spirit of unity, solidarity, and lightheartedness, that I assembled my Khan-based dream team -- named Dharti Hiladenge -- that could defeat just about any group that threatens the earth and her innocent inhabitants. Here they are -- each a character from a film this decade, and one more (I'm going with five, as in a basketball team, in the interest of time).

Any you like in particular? Any you would add? Am I merely dreaming of solidarity in Bollywood? Or is this magnitude of rivalry inherent in showbiz?

Can't we just rid the earth of those who know not of love and happiness? Can't we just all just get along? God, Tussi Great Ho...thank you for sparing us today :) Here's to peace and longevity among all Bollywood Khan-dans!

2. Radhey Mohan - Salman Khan in Tere Naam (2003)Radhey was a rowdy college student in Tere Naam. By the time the twenty-first century came around, he needed to convince none of his ability to manhandle the opposition. Team's looking better.

3. Rajveer Singh - Saif Ali Khan in Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)Lesson learned from Saif in this film and in Race (2008) was that whether or not he can beat people up, the guy can certainly drive a car fast. And that would be handy in fighting the evil forces and chasing them down.

4. Don - Shah Rukh Khan in Don (2006)As the famous bit of dialogue from the film goes, it is impossible to capture Don. His sheer shrewdness would help the team maintain a healthy level of skepticism. What's more, he can even fight in mid-air (and not lose his jacket while at it)!

5. Krrish - Hrithik Roshan in Krrish (2006)A Khan by osmosis, Krrish would be a perfect insurance policy to the four noted above. After all, Mangal, Radhey, Rajveer and Don are human.

And wherever Krrish goes, we might just see his satellite from Love Story 2050 (this from the July CineBlitz issue)...

Team Cheerleader: Jadoo from Koi Mil Gaya (2003)He has his own powers, has a way with and can protect children if needed, and communication with aliens just in case. Could it get any better?

PS: The title to this post, 'Dharti Hiladenge', was inspired by Chale Chalo from the Lagaan soundtrack. See, that film does have a bit of everything! :o)

That CineBlitz cartoon was hilarious and deserved to be shared. Glad you liked it! And Hrithik's wife is a Khan (she's Sanjay Khan's daughter Suzanne, or Sussanne, or however she spells it), so I figured the 'Khan by osmosis' bit was appropriate :) ... in addition to be known to be a Shah Rukh loyalist himself, at least when he started and around Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...not up to date with their relations now. I feel like I'm talking about countries here, lol...

Adab theBollywoodFan,Glad to know you're OK. I did think, "Nahin! The BollywoodFan!" when I heard the quake had struck. I was in the '89 earth quake in San Francisco, and remember it taking about 20 seconds before I realized that it was an earthquake. I thought a bus hit my apartment at first, until I figured it out, LOL. Wow, to be so high up in a building must have been scary! You're right, glad Amitabh only had to suffer the fever and not the quake. I like your Khan team, though I would have included Amjad, But since he's dead, I undertand him not making the cut. I especially like being reminded of Jadoo.

Adab Sita-ji: Thanks for stopping by. Someone on our floor yelled out, "it's an earthquake!" right away. I guess the first thought is really more on the lines of, "what's this?". More than the swaying, the sounds that accompanied it were scary. Oh well, done, thankfully. Amjad would probably be team captain if he were around, that's a great point!

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"See, I wanted to be a director, I became one. Wanted to be an actor, I became one. Wanted to make good pictures, I have done that too. Have money, have everything. But I have nothing left."

Guru Dutt

"The world screams and shouts all kinds of advice and suggestions and actions to be undertaken, but in the end you fight your battles alone. It's just you and your opponent, your issue, your problem."

Amitabh Bachchan

"While we can use cinema as a medium to teach, create awareness, make people think, make people socially more aware, etc., the fact is that cinema's primary purpose is to entertain."